The industry association’s latest professional certification is the first certification for software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) built to international standards and five MEF training providers are set to offer training and certification testing.
“We are delighted that MEF has created yet another skills certification in software-centric networking technologies, adding to its world-renowned Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) credential,” said Nan Chen, president of MEF.
“Given the rising deployment of SDN and NFV solutions globally, and the tremendous potential for telecom and enterprise IT organisations to leverage SDN and NFV, we are confident that this certification will open new doors, new jobs, and new horizons for the networking workforce. Organisations that encourage their IT professionals to train for and earn this credential will signal their commitment to excellence in their workforce. Already we have received enquiries from companies wanting to get their engineers, operators and technical architects certified.”
Following a successful beta-exam review period, the MEF-SDN/NFV exam now provides the first industry-wide certification that validates professionals’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in the domains of SDN and NFV.
MEF has also announced that five training companies - Carrier Ethernet Academy, Criterion Networks, Perpetual Solutions, SDN Essentials, and Tech2000 - that are members of its Accredited Training Provider (MEF-ATP) programme are qualified to deliver approved training for this certification.
MEF says it built the certification exam “with the help of SDN and NFV subject matter experts to exact ISO 17024 quality specifications for accuracy and reliability”. The MEF-SDN/NFV certification exam is built around the key themes of “Design, Deploy, and Manage,” and details and references are contained in the newly released examination blueprint.
Professionals seeking to validate their competencies must be able to demonstrate their abilities in various design, installation, and security scenarios involving SDN, NFV, and instances when virtualised objects such as VNFs (virtualised network functions) are deployed into SDN architectures.
Rick Bauer, certification director at MEF, added: “This is the first certification of its kind in the exploding field of virtualised networking. We’re grateful to have so many companies and organisations collaborating and providing their expertise, and we look forward to broad industry acceptance of this credential.”
MEF now offers three certifications as part of its Professional Certification Framework: the MEF-SDN/NFV Certified Professional, MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP), and MEF Network Foundations (MEF-NF) certifications. Individuals who obtain all three of these certifications qualify for the coveted MEF Network Expert certification.
